calf this morning

caroline00 · #1 04/30/07, 09:14 AM

this is an inconvenient day for a new calf. If I leave him on mom today and take him away tomorrow and bottle feed him how much trouble will I have adding him back to the pasture with mom in a month? 2 months?

Will he remember and try to nurse his mom? She is our milk cow and we do want milk for all not just him!

We are to go to Springfield today and come home very late tonight... I dont want to be milking that late for a first or second time milking.

Thanks

Christina R. · #2 04/30/07, 09:00 PM

There are tons of people who know more than me, but I can tell you what I did. On my gal's second calf, it was going to be a late milking on the first or second day; since whatever was going to be pitched to the chickens anyway (we never kept the fisrt three days of milk), I decided to forgo the milking. Her calf did fine the first two days being the only one on her. After that the calf and my family shared the milk with enough to sell to friends (for "pet use only. of course

If the inconvenient milking for the first day is the situation, then that may help alleviate your concerns. If the real concern is the calf remembering the mama and trying to nurse in a few months, someone else will have to chime in. Congratulations on the new calf!

Ronney · #3 05/01/07, 05:26 AM

I leave the calf with the cow for the first four days anyway and only strip her out if she is huge and uncomfortable. Your calf will be fine and it won't make any difference to their ability to remember.

Cheers,
Ronnie

caroline00 · #4 05/01/07, 10:57 AM

Thanks! we left him with her all day yesterday and half day today and took him out. We are now milking her and will struggle with teaching him to drink from a bottle now... Hopefully he catches on sooner than our last years calf did... last years was Brown Swiss(bought from a dairy).

this years is 1/4 Jersey, 1/4 Angus, 1/2 Holstein...

cjg24 · #5 05/06/07, 04:18 PM

I am curious why you take the baby off the mother so soon? Doesn't the mother just make more milk if you milk and baby are both using it? I just wondered as I am considering getting a milk cow. Thanks